


a dance, a chance, and a promise

by inkandparchment



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Lukanette, Prom, marriage pact
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:20:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24579700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkandparchment/pseuds/inkandparchment
Summary: a sweet little oneshot where luka takes marinette to prom to quell her insecurities and fears of being alone, and he promises her that he'll be there to cheer her on when she gets married, but if she's still single at 30, they could reunite, and see where life takes them.hawkmoth-less au! featuring dog!tikki
Relationships: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34





	a dance, a chance, and a promise

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Second Chance](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20739086) by [Quickspinner](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quickspinner/pseuds/Quickspinner). 



> disclaimer: all my gratitude to thomas astruc's miraculous ladybug for inspiring this fic - anything you recognize (characters, setting, dialogue, etc) belongs to him! although i wish i did, i unfortunately don't have any association whatsoever to the owners/creators/producers of miraculous ladybug. also, just want to clarify that i never intend to cause any harm or copyright infringement through the publishing of my work on this site. however, i ask that if you take inspiration from anything original in my fics, please let me know and tag me in your own, but please don't copy or plagiarize them here or on other sites without my explicit knowledge and permission.

after adrien had rejected marinette for the sixteenth time, and the week before prom, no less, luka was incredibly frustrated. 

"luka, what if no one ever likes me back? ugh, i'm such a failure of a person."

"hey no! no talking about my favorite girl like that."

"could- could you hold me? i just feel so lonely sometimes"

"sure thing, and… how about we make a deal?"

"oh yeah?"  
"i'll be your man of honor when you get hitched to agreste or some other guy, and if you don't by the time you're thirty, and we're both single, we can meet up, see where life takes us. with me around, i promise you'll never be alone, mar"

"deal, couffaine."

"deal." he said, seeing her begin to smile again.

see he didn't _hate_ agreste, but seriously, what was the kid thinking? marinette was brave, beautiful, funny, and unsurpassingly kind and thoughtful. anyone would be a fool to reject a girl like her… especially when he _knew_ he wasn't the only guy who do anything to be first in line to spend the rest of his life with her at his side. so while he hated the thought of her hurting because of another guy, he took a chance.

strumming his guitar softly as she sat beside him, he asked, "mar, would you, would it… make you feel better if i went with you to prom?"

after a deep breath, blue eyes searching each other, marinette replied, "yeah, i think i'd like that." 

they didn't date after that. they did, however, have much more fun than either of them expected. it led to them becoming even closer in the following years, and not a day went by that they didn't think of each other. of course, after going different ways, they inevitably lost touch a few times, sometimes even going a few months without hearing from the other, but despite the at times infrequent line of communication between them, they steadfastly remained each other's dearest friend and most supportive cheerleader. before he knew it, luka realized that marinette's 30th birthday was approaching. while he knew she probably didn't remember the promise he made to her all those years ago, and he had actually promised nothing more than just his friendship ("you'll never be alone" does not equate to a marriage proposal, couffaine! stop overthinking this!) he had never forgotten. however, unbeknownst to her, he immediately began making plans to sweep her off his feet, beginning with her birthday dinner. although he would back off the moment she said that all she craved was friendship, he knew she was still single (and so was he), and something told him that this was the last time to take his chances with the single biggest "what if" that had plagued him all these years.

"uh - hello? yes? reservation for two, please. the name's couffaine. thank you, and have a good day."

that same day saw marinette mindlessly twirling her earrings as she settled down on her sofa with a glass of wine. looking down at her dog, she mumbled, "tikki, i miss luka. i know you understand me, well, maybe not all the time… but he really does, you know? he sees me. and i'm turning thirty and most of the time i feel old and so tired, but with him i feel like i'm able to see the wonder in things like i did when i was just a kid. i doubt he remembers his promise from so long ago… but wouldn't it just be a miracle if he did? a perfect, birthday miracle… oh well, i know it's just a silly daydream to think that even if he did, he would wind up wanting to be with _me_ , klutzy naive marinette…" she said, voice trailing off as tikki nuzzled into her side, sighing and hoping that her silly human would find happiness soon.

"hey marinette, could you meet me at my place at eight? i just wanted to have dinner with you and talk" said luka over the phone. "uh, uh, wh-" marinette managed to get out, thoroughly confused. "you don't have to if you don't want to" rushed luka, already disappointed in himself and ashamed for asking her, for thinking he had a chance. surely the most amazing girl would have a birthday date already lined up. he'd regrettably let her slip through his fingers after their one night together during her high school prom, and now there was no way he'd be so lucky as to have a second chance. he closed his eyes, ready to put down the phone. this was already a disast- 

"luka! wait!" "yeah mar?" he asked, hoping against hope, that he hadn't just blown things with her. "i'd love to dinner - talk - talk and have dinner, i mean. don't you worry, couffaine. i'll be there."

at the restaurant, marinette worried. 

was she underdressed? overdressed? god, why is she acting like a girl on her first date? did she smell weird? what is he looking at? christ, this is luka, for heaven's sake. why are things so awkward? 

luka was screwed. he closed his eyes, trying to meditate for even just one moment before he messed things up with the most extraordinary girl he knew. unbelievably brave. clear as a note, sincere as a melody. her song had never left his head or his heart, even after the pain of watching her pine for adrien for years on end. although he'd gone on a few dates with other girls after their one special night together at prom (simply to appease juleka), he still longed for the chance to experience what it would be like to be ~hers.~ typically, he didn't like the way that language twisted endearments into chains, turning a well-meaning expression of love into a phrase that indicates ownership and mastery over another. however, in this case, he was willing to let it go if it would allow him to marvel at her small hand in his, even for just one day. if "being hers" in title was all that was necessary for him to be able to show her just how much he appreciated every single thing about her, even her quirks and idiosyncrasies that she wished that she didn't have, then luka would gladly surrender. but he didn't think that marinette liked seeing love as a game of hierarchy, having always insisted that he treat her like his equal, not like a fragile thing that needed his protection. luka slowly counted to 10 in his head, already knowing that when he opened his eyes, marinette would be standing in front of him. she was always beautiful (he'd always _known_ so) but today, she had greeted him with a truly radiant smile and a red dress that fit her just right. his heart ached, knowing that if tonight, marinette said she didn't want to give them a chance, it would be the last time he would confess to her, and he would have essentially lost her forever.

they ended up enjoying themselves that night, so much, that luka's plan ultimately succeeded. after laughing over memories and reminiscing together, he hesitantly and solemnly reminded her of their old marriage pact, taking her hand. he confessed with the same words that had echoed in her head on her worst days, enabling her to withstand even the harshest criticisms of her work without crumbling and wilting like she'd done under the stress of lila's lies back in college and lycee. watery blue eyes met one another, for once finally seeing love mirrored in them. luka kissed no more than her knuckles that day, as she made her confession of love to him as well. neither had any regrets, though. they were purposefully taking things slowly, not wanting passion and lust to ruin the foundations of their relationship, so heavily based on the trust and solidarity found in their best friend. 

  
  


years later, in hindsight, luka realized that his first promise to marinette was probably only the second best promise he'd ever made. it had been easily been topped by the promise to love and cherish her wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and beyond, where they would meet, remember, and love again.

**Author's Note:**

> i know i took plenty of liberties with this fic and incorporated a ton of non-traditionally french customs and traditions into it, starting with prom (pls forgive me). in the us, prom is a formal dance held for students before they start a career, take a gap year, or choose to pursue higher education at a university. it is typically for students aged 17-19, and is seen as part of a last hurrah to celebrate their friends and education thus far, as oftentimes, students and/or their friends will either move away from home to embark on the next chapter of their lives and live on their own for the first time. while there isn't any real pressure to have a date to prom, most girls are terribly disappointed if they don't have a date to the dance. in addition, the last line of this fic makes reference to wedding vows that are neither typical in the us nor in france. in fact, they are instead traditional celtic wedding vows, which i find to be incredibly beautiful.


End file.
